Plastic Surgery/Septoplasty/Rhinoplasty

Thanks for taking my question and taking the time to do this for people in need. Three weeks ago today, I underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum and straighten my nose. It was a closed procedure and I mentioned to my doctor that I would like to keep the shape of my nose the same, but correct a moderate to severe off center leaning to the right of my nose. No cartilage was remolded, only the nasal bone was broken and re-set.

The procedure seemed to go ok and I am breathing much better. I however am not satisfied with the results of the straightening. My nose looks identical or slightly more off center from the outside in before and after pictures. My nose was broken and put in a splint for 6 days. My questions are as follows:

Can I expect my nose to continue to straighten and improve in appearance in the next several weeks?

I played 9 holes of very careful golf (no hard swings/not smart I know)five days after the procedure with no pain during or after (brace was still on my face). Is it likely I ruined my results by doing so?

Can I now lift weights and play golf/exercise as normal without compromising the shape of my nose?

Thanks Again!

Answerfrom Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com

Hi Matt,

First, it is (obviously) difficult for me to comment specifically on these issues via this forum; I would need before and after photos, etc. That being said:

1) I think it is unlikely that you caused a significant change to your nose in playing golf at five days post-op. That being said, it was probably not wise to do so (!).

2) There is so much swelling early on that you cannot necessarily make an assumption about the nose's final appearance. But straightening a nose can be difficult and can require a fairly extensive procedure (including the septoplasty, which is any of several maneuvers to the septum) and repositioning, and hopefully centralizing, the bony portions of the nose. Exactly which of these were done, and to what extent, would help answer your question but I would only be speculating.

My guess, though, is that it is not likely to magically straighten completely if it looks the same or even a little worse now (I'm not concerned about it looking "worse" as swelling exaggerates even slight differences). It may to some degree, but maybe not completely.

I normally tell my patients that, assuming the healing is progressing as expected, they can start light exercise and advance as tolerated.

You should, of course, discuss all of this with your own plastic surgeon.

Expertise

Dr. Engler has answered over 6400 questions on social media sites, including over 3500 on AllExperts alone. His expertise includes breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts, lipomas, skin cancers, cysts, etc.
Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction."
Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), the Dr. Keith Ablow Show and Jerseylicious. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (search for "DR. ENGLER"), and his discussion of breast implants, also on YouTube is "How to Choose a Breast Implant." His website is www.bodysculpture.com.
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Experience

Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, as well as EyeScapes - Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids.

Education/CredentialsDr. Engler graduated from Yale University (BA, Russian Studies) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in the Departments of both Surgery (Plastic Surgery) and Medicine (Dermatology), and is a Special Lecturer in the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University in New York. He has admitting privileges at Beth Israel Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York.